Oregon Takes Up Gun Control Bills
A National Rifle Association representative, relatives of two people killed in a December mall shooting spree and others took part in a passionate gun control debate Friday as Oregon’s Legislature began considering bills that would impose new gun restrictions but wouldn’t go as far as some lawmakers had hoped.
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard four hours of public testimony on a package of four bills that would expand background checks and add new restrictions on carrying firearms.
The daughter and husband of a woman shot dead at a suburban Portland shopping mall urged lawmakers to adopt the legislation and asked for additional measures, such as requiring that guns be kept locked up.
“The gun that was used to kill my mother was stolen,” said Jenna Passalacqua, daughter of Cindy Yuille, one of two people fatally shot by Jacob Roberts as he opened fire inside the Clackamas Town Center on Dec. 11. Roberts, who killed himself after the shooting, had stolen the AR-15 from a friend.
“Had that gun been locked up properly, she might still be alive today,” said Passalacqua, one of more than 100 people who showed up at the hearing to testify.